Letter to the Vice Chancellor IGNOU for Starting B.Ed. Class at IGNOU study centre at Port Blair

3-3/CC/2012

31.01.2012

To

The Vice Chancellor,

Indira Gandhi National Open University,

Maidan Garhi,

New Delhi – 110 068.

Sub: Starting of B.Ed class at IGNOU Study Centre, Port

Blair – regarding.

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Sir,

I am to bring to your kind attention the following for immediate necessary action:

1. The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is situated in the Bay of Bengal by 1200 KMs from Chennai/Kolkatta. This Union Territory is considered as the most remote and far-flung area in the country.

2. A large number of Graduate/Post Graduate teachers who do not possess the B.Ed training are working in the Education Department and other private schools of these islands.

3. These inservice teachers who desire to undergo B.Ed training have been trying their best to acquire the B.Ed training through IGNOU but in vain. This Association has also been pursuing this issue with the IGNOU Port Blair Centre, A & N Administration and the local B.Ed. College (TGCE) for the last several years.

4. IGNOU had conducted the B.Ed entrance tests at Regional Centre, Port Blair for the candidates of these islands during the last two years. Since the B.Ed Study Centre was not established at Port Blair, these candidates were not able to pursue the B.Ed course despite having passed the entrance test.

5. It has been reported to this Association that 123 candidates from Andaman and Nicobar Islands qualified the entrance test held at Port Blair on 21^st August, 2011. However, the inservice teachers who qualified in the entrance test could not take admission for the B.Ed course in the absence of a B.Ed Study Centre at Port Blair.

6. The only B. Ed College in the islands viz. Tagore Govt. College of Education has not made any separate provision for the admission of inservice teachers in the said College.

7. It is ironical that while some of the Universities on the mainland have opened their Study Centres at Port Blair for under graduate and post graduate studies in various disciplines, the IGNOU, which is the only University offering correspondence B.Ed course, has adopted a negative stand towards the requests of Service Associations and aspiring teachers in the islands leading to the denial of the above facility to the candidates of the most remotest part of the country.

I would, therefore, request your goodself kindly to look into this matter personally and establish a study centre for B.Ed course of IGNOU at Port Blair atleast on temporary basis for 2-3 years so that all the inservice teachers can acquire the qualification of B.Ed which will improve their career in the Education Department.

(D. Ayyappan)

General Secretary